Our KESTER part of the big puzzle came to the United States from Germany in the 1600's. It was Paulus and Gertrude KUSTER, along with three of their sons. Our puzzles pieces belong to their son Johannes. They all lived in Pennsylvania, mostly in Germantown, which is now a section of the city of Philadelphia. As the family puzzle grew, new pieces were added for Johannes to William KESTER (b.1733), then Paul KESTER (b.1760). They also started to make the move westward. From Pennsylvania they headed out into many other states, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma and even Texas.
From Paul KESTER (b.1760) more puzzle pieces got added, John Bonham KESTER Sr. (b.1791). Click on this link, (John Bonham Kester Sr.) to see further information and picture of John Bonham KESTER Sr.
In the late 1840's and early 1850's many of the KESTER's headed off to California, most very likely getting that old gold rush fever that was going around. My family history claims that was not the case, it was to come to California to farm, but who really knows. Several of John Bonham KESTER Sr.'s children headed off to California, including John Bonham KESTER Jr. (b.1829) and James Layson Kester (b.1822). Click on their name links for further information and their pictures.
They headed first to Napa County, and within a year moved south to San Luis Obispo County. It was in San Luis Obispo County that our puzzle pieces remained for many years. Today, the area still has Kester family puzzle pieces living there. Our puzzle pieces moved to another puzzle board, they moved a bit to the north-east, inland to the green San Joaquin Valley. This was John Chord KESTER (b.1855), and his family. Click on his name link for more information on him, including his picture.
It was after several years of bad farming due to no rain, which caused this move. This move included John's younger children, and some of his older children and their families. The older children included his son, Harvey Chord KESTER (b.1888). Please click on Harvey's name link for further information on him. The families settled in an area that was split by two California Counties and a river, it was Oakdale, Stanislaus County and Laton, Fresno County. It was in Laton that the puzzle again had more pieces added to it, Harvey met and fell in love with Nona Viola Dunn, they were married January 1913. From this marriage, two more puzzle pieces were added, Virgil M. Kester Sr. (b.1914) and Erma Muriel (b.1916).
Within just a few years, around 1917 or sooner, Harvey Chord KESTER's family, including Virgil and baby Erma, moved west, to Watsonville, Santa Cruz County. It was later that year, when the Influenza Pandemic of 1918, killed many members of the Kester family. (INFLUENZA, acute, infectious, contagious disease of the respiratory tract, especially the trachea, colloquially called flu or, less often, grippe. Widespread epidemics, have been called Influenza Pandemics. The most destructive of modern times, that of 1918, is estimated to have caused 20 million deaths; in the U.S. about 500,000 persons died.) Some called it the Asian Flu, and some the Spanish Flu. In reality, it was the most virulent form of a series of strains of Influenza which had tormented the world for a forty year period of time between the 1880's and 1920's. In Santa Cruz County, the Spanish Flu began in October 1918, when soldiers returning home from basic training carried the pestilence with them. It reached a zenith during the month of December, as dozens of new cases were reported on a daily basis. Death resulted not from the Influenza itself, but from Pneumonia which quite often developed following a case of the flu. By early spring of 1919, the flu blight had passed. This "Spanish Flu" took the lives of four Kester's; Clarence on November 2, 1918, Harvey on November 4, 1918, Clara on November 27, 1918, and mother Mary Edna on December 10, 1918.
Virgil's mother Nona, remarried to Leo C. Cardwell, he lived a few miles away in the city of Santa Cruz. The puzzle was growing fast again, I think they had to put a bigger table under the puzzle board. Virgil married Myrtle Irene BAILEY, more pieces were added to the puzzle. Virgil Sr. & Myrtle had four children, Virgil "Pete" M. KESTER Jr., Susan, Martha "Saucy", and Mary. Erma added some also, she married Louis L. Haber, they added two, Mel and Ken.
Virgil M. KESTER Jr. married Marlene G. PACKER, expanding the puzzle, adding four pieces to the board; Linda, Virgil "Don" M. KESTER III, David and Lisa. All of Virgil Jr. & Marlene's children did their puzzle part, all were married, all had children. Virgil "Don" M. KESTER III spotted a great find for the puzzle, and after a bit of rewriting of puzzle rules, Kitty E. LANE joined him in marriage, and from that union there is April Dawn M KESTER and one new corner piece ... Virgil "Addison" M. KESTER IV.
click here to go back to MAIN PAGE.